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I'm a pretty experienced rider and 183lbs.... I ride a 131x40 board and am looking for the best 2 kite quiver for me. I'm looking at the EH Ovando's and I normally don't really love riding anything over my 12m Naish cult b/c it gets boring. So with this in mind I was wondering if I could get some help on the best 2 kite quiver in the Ovando sizes.

I was thinking maybe 5m and 9m but this gap seems a little too big for my liking. I rarely see 30/35mph winds so I don't know if I need to go down to a 5m. What about a 6m/9m?

Here is the other question... I do have some very light wind days so another option I was thinking about would be a 7m/11m or 8m/11m combo. What kind of wind range could I get out of these?

Hey,

Check your inbox.

Thanks for all the help Mike!

Also I was just curious to get other opinions out there from some other people that weigh close to what I weigh.

I know I was referring to this kite compared to my 12m 08 Naish cult... but unfortunately that's all I really have to base it off of....

Do you think The 10m Ovando would give me the low end grunt of my 12m Cult? I was hoping maybe even a 9m would but I feel like that's pushing it haha. I just want all the speed out of a kite that I can get and smaller = faster

have you flown an ovando? i flew a 13M and found it super slow. SUPER SLOW. never got around to test the smaller ones because of all the issues the local dealer had with the kites. although its true that they are really powerful kites issues like them flying upside down and them breaking caused our crew to banish the brand from our beaches.

other kiters that did try the smaller kites had negative feedback as well.

if you need more specifics, i can connect you with the ex-dealer.

we all came to the conclusion that the kite was for wakestyle training since it wouldnt budge from where you parked it. so it might be great for learning new unhooked tricks.

i would love to hear from other ovando kiters to learn and perhaps get good feedback and tips on how to use them, since a few of the guys have these kites and it would be shame to have them go to waste.

later,

I'm 165 lbs and have the 7M. It easily replaced my 9M Waroo. I haven't flown the other sizes but you can probably go down about 2M compared to a "standard" SLE.

Most guys around here go with a 9M and 13M Waroo 2 kite combo so for Ovandos you would be looking at a 7M and 11M.

Definitely fun if you like a fast kite that zips across the window and turns on a dime.

-Tom

Interesting to hear the postive and negative reviews on this kite.

I have had the 7M since last July and have only flew the 7M. I've been kiting 9 years. The kite definately needs to trimmed correctly, needs to be actively flown, and doesn't like wind with holes in it. I think the EH website clearly says this kite is for advanced riders only.

If you can deal with the above you get the benefit of flying a small, powerful, fast kite. I mainly use mine in the surf and it is a ton of fun if you like chasing the kite down the line.

For crappy wind with holes in it I don't use the Ovando. I have a 7.5M Kahoona for that.

-Tom

Interesting differing opionions... I've heard that this kite is very demanding as far as having your bar tuned correctly... sounds like someone had their bar all messed up...

bavdrftr318 wrote:Interesting differing opionions... I've heard that this kite is very demanding as far as having your bar tuned correctly... sounds like someone had their bar all messed up...

Tom is correct they have the power of a kite two sizes larger. I had a 12m Cult and these kites are very different from the Cult. Way more grunt. If you need the equivalent of a 15m Cult for the low wind days I would recommend the 13. I have one and absolutely love it. It pulls like a 15 but way faster.

i weigh 185 lbs and have the 7,9 and 11.. yea, overkillI know... the 7 and 9 are awesome kites. The 11 is a really great kite but not compared with the 7 and 9. I ride a TT 132x41 and a surfboard 5'10. These kites are just so much fun, espcially the smaller sizes. You could go with a 7 and a 10 or a 6 and a 9 I guess but you would want some lower end on the light wind days. Maybe go for the 7 and 10. I think you would find the 11 would get boring like your helix. I htink the 6 would be too small for you unless you plan on just riding a surfboard. The 7 is jsut an incredible kite and I would not trade it for anything. The 9 is also awesome and is usally my go to kite. I have ridden both to 30mph and have not had any problems. The 11 can get tough to handle above 22mph. I think the sweet spot for this kite series is the 7,8 and 9. Never rode the 10 but I am sure it is fine. Good luck and I am sur eyou will love the ovandos... and yes, the kite likes to be flown and not parked, but you can park it.. .has plenty of grunt.. and does not like super gusty winds but the smaller sizes seem to do fine. I have never had any probelms. Also the lines need to be checked peridically since the throw is only 10 inches and the front lines can stretch, it will impact performance. The kite is finely tuned and you need to check the lines. Just rode my 7 today in 19-27 mph. I could have easily rode the 9 as well. Since I had the surfboard the 7 was fine. so fun to fly...

sorry.. forgot to mention that for the higher winds you can also get the rippehr which is an awesome high wind kite. Eats gusts and is so much fun to fly.. low end sucks though

Totally differnet kite and does not have the grunt of the ovando. at your weight you would want an 8 rippehr which I think they stopped making... 7 may be too small unless they improved the low end.

Or keep your 12 helix and get a 9 and 7 ovando pretty much most kites are boring when the wind is light. Good luck deciding... any way you can demo one where you are at?